Persian Spinach Soup with Lentils

This easy soup is based on ashe reshteh, an Iranian dish that's usually eaten at the Persian New Year for good luck. Using frozen spinach instead of fresh speeds the cooking time and allows you to use a smaller potbut feel free to substitute 2 cups steamed fresh spinach. This soup tastes even better the next day.

6Servings

Ingredients

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 medium onions, diced (about 21/2 cups)

1/4 cup lentils

1/2 tsp. turmeric

31/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

3 green onions, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 oz. fettuccine, broken into 1-inch lengths (about 1/3 cup)

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1 Tbs. chopped mint

Preparation

1. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions, and cook 15 minutes, or until browned, stirring occasionally. Transfer ¼ cup onions to small bowl to cool.

2. Add lentils and turmeric to pot, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in vegetable broth and 3½ cups water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes. Add spinach and green onions, and cook 20 minutes more. Stir in pasta, and cook 10 minutes, or until al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Stir yogurt and mint into reserved onion. Season with salt and pepper. Ladle soup into bowls, and serve with dollops of yogurt mixture.

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